Information for prospective students from China

Students from China

We have gathered specific information for students from or currently living in China, who are interested in studying at SOAS. There are currently a significant number of students from China studying at the School.

Meet the World at SOAS - talking to Chinese students

Minimum entry requirements

These are guidelines only and do not guarantee entry. Each application will be judged on its own merits with your academic qualifications, personal statement and your references all being considered carefully.

Undergraduate study

Applicants offering either ‘A’ levels or the IB Diploma will be considered in the same way as UK applicants. For details of the IB and A-Level requirements for individual degree programmes please refer to the undergraduate entry requirements. We do accept the Chinese High School Certificate and Gaokao for direct entry to a SOAS undergraduate degree. Our entry requirements are:

  • AAA-AAB: 80% overall in Gaokao (78% in Gaokao Maths if A level Maths required) and 85% overall in Senior Secondary School Graduation Certificate.
  • ABB-BBB: 76%-78% overall in Gaokao (78% in Gaokao Maths if A level Maths required) and 83% overall in Senior Secondary School Graduation Certificate.

If your Gaokao and High School grades are significantly below the required scores, you can consider applying for our Foundation College.

We accept students who have completed a Chinese High School and have taken Ambright's ASTs (Aptitude Scholastic Tests). The entry requirements are as follows:

  • AAA-AAB: 3 ASTs at 200/300 in each subject PLUS 80% overall in the Senior Secondary School Graduation Certificate.
  • ABB-BBB: 3 ASTs at 180/300 in each subject PLUS 80% in the Senior Secondary School Graduation Certificate.

Applications from students who have completed first year undergraduate study in a relevant subject from a recognised Chinese university may also be considered. Information about how to apply can be found on the undergraduate admissions pages and on the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) website.

Postgraduate study

SOAS welcomes applications from those with a good 2:2 or above in their UK bachelors degree. Applicants with a bachelors degree from a C9 or a Double First Class university in China will be considered for entry if they have a minimum passing grade of 73% to 75% or GPA 2.5 to 2.6/4.0. Graduates from non C9 or Double First Class institutions will be considered for entry if they have a minimum grade of 75% or GPA 2.9/4.0. Relevant work experience may also be considered. References for the majority of our postgraduate taught courses are not required.

In addition, applicants should also refer to the individual programme entries in the Graduate Prospectus or postgraduate entry requirements, which may have additional requirements.

Applicants to MPhil/PhD programmes should have an excellent masters degree. Please note that you are expected to have a demonstrable background in the area of research you would like to pursue.

English language and Foundation courses

Applicants whose first language is not English must show that their level of English is sufficient to follow an academic programme in English. For more information please visit the English entry requirements page. SOAS does offer English pre-sessional courses for those who do not meet the exact entry requirements, so that students have the opportunity to improve their language skills before beginning academic study.

Those applicants who do not meet the above entry requirements or would like to improve their English language before studying for a degree, could consider applying for one of the foundation degrees offered at the SOAS IFCELS centre. Students can improve their English while studying academic courses in an area of their choice, including Development Studies, International Business, Media and Communication and International Politics.

In-country representatives (agents)

SOAS works with a number of approved agent representatives who can support you with your application as an international student. For more information, please visit our Global educational representatives webpage. 

Scholarships, fees and funding

SOAS offers a range of scholarships, bursaries and awards to support students from across the world. For current information on scholarships, please see scholarships.

Each year SOAS welcomes students who have been awarded scholarships from external organisations. For China, the Chevening has been popular source of funding for high achieving scholars.

SOAS has recently launched two new scholarships Chinese students can apply for: 

If you have more questions regarding these scholarships, please contact the China office at chinaoffice@soas.ac.uk. 

Popular courses for Chinese students

Some popular courses studied by our Chinese students include:

Alumni

If you have any questions for SOAS alumni in China then please contact the alumni association through SOAS alumni.

Useful links

Contact us

We are delighted to answer any questions you may have about applying to, and studying at, SOAS.

If you would like to get in touch with our in-country officers based in China, please email them via chinaoffice@soas.ac.uk or contact them using the details below:

Phoebe Liu: Recruitment Officer (Shanghai-based)

Telephone: +86 159 7293 8002
WeChat: Phoebe_SOAS
Email: pl28@soas.ac.uk 

Katherine Zhuang: Marketing and Recruitment Officer (Beijing-based)

Telephone: +86 135 2258 7003
WeChat: Katherine_SOAS
Email: kz7@soas.ac.uk 

You can find further information on upcoming visits in our listings for events in your country.

You can also follow us on Weibo or our Chinese microsite , our Bilibili and WeChat:英国伦敦大学亚非学院SOAS, Rednote: 英国伦敦大学亚非学院SOAS, Douyin:英国伦敦大学亚非学院SOAS.

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